You may have heard that President Obama ordered federal agencies to halt work on pending regulations so that they could be reviewed. Well, here’s one which has already been given the go ahead to proceed: The Department of the Interior has been told that it can continue drafting a five-year plan that would expand areas of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans which could be opened up for oil and natural gas drilling. (Reuters) This is what the preliminary plan proposes:31 Sites Open to Lease, 2010-2015The plan would allow 31 energy exploration lease sales on both the east and west coast between 2010 and 2015. The plan is open for public comment for the next 60 days, after which the Obama administration could choose to proceed with an official proposal, change it or reject it outright.

Reuters also reports that, separately, a DoI spokesperson indicated that plans to further develop oil shale deposits in the several Rocky Mountain states are also continuing.

You may have heard that President Obama ordered federal agencies to halt work on pending regulations so that they could be reviewed. Well, here’s one which has already been given the go ahead to proceed: The Department of the